MKU hits a hat-trick at the National Drama Festivals 2026
Mount Kenya University secured a remarkable hat-trick, emerging as the best university overall and most prolific university for the third consecutive year as the Kenya National Drama Festivals 2026 drew to a close in Nyeri County.
The university emerged victorious in nearly every major competitive segment, collecting multiple trophies, national titles, and adjudicators’ honours.
It dominated across theatre, film, spoken word, dance, comedy, and verse categories underscoring its sustained excellence and the depth of talent within its creative arts programmes.
‘‘The historic achievement cements the university’s reputation as a powerhouse of creativity, consistency and excellence on the national stage, having maintained the top position in 2024, 2025 and now 2026,’’ says William Luta, Coordinator of Sports, Film, and Creative Arts at MKU Luta speaking at the event, praised the team’s achievements. “This is a hat-trick we have emerged the best university overall for three consecutive years: 2024, 2025, and now 2026.
Reaching this level has been a result of combined effort. The students’ resilience pushed them beyond their limits, while trainers applied every skill possible to ensure thorough preparation,’’ he said.
Mr Luta said the university showcased dominance by winning top honours in the cultural creative dance, solo verse, stand-up comedy and spoken word (Kiswahili edition). In addition, MKU teams delivered strong performances, finishing second place in play, spoken word (English), duet dance, narrative and modern dance.
The university also shone in film and documentary categories, demonstrating strength in digital storytelling and screen production: In film category, MKU came second in screen verse and third position in feature films.
Under the sponsored documentary (Equity Bank), the college took position three, earning a Sh30,000 award in addition to the Sh100,000 for the top Equity Bank sponsored play.
Individual students from MKU also won top performers awards in several different categories.
“I extend my appreciation to the university management for their immense support, ensuring that all necessary resources were available to perfect our productions.
As a university, we remain committed to nurturing and exposing young talent to the world. This journey does not end here it only gets better,’’ added the coordinator.
Mr Luta plays a key role in coordinating sports teams and performing arts. He is recognized for supporting student talents, managing team logistics, and promoting MKU’s participation in national and East African drama and sports.
The 64th Edition of Kenya National Drama and Film Festivals was hosted at Kagumo Teachers Training College, Nyeri National Polytechnic, and Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, under the theme “Bold Storytellers’ Digital Stages: Driving Kenya’s Development through Theatre and Film.”
Multiple MKU productions earned the prestigious honour of being showcased at the 2026 Gala in front of the President, top government and ministry of education officials. These are spoken words (both English and Kiswahili versions), cultural dance and the solo verse.
Mr Luta said MKU’s continued dominance reinforces its status as a powerhouse in performing and cinematic arts.
The comprehensive wins reflect the university’s commitment to nurturing talent, creativity, and innovation qualities that have repeatedly propelled its students to national acclaim.
Speaking after the announcement, university representatives praised the unwavering dedication of students, trainers, directors, and the MKU community whose collective effort produced outstanding results.
This year’s edition has embraced technological advancement, with increased integration of digital tools and artificial intelligence in storytelling, reflecting the evolving landscape of Kenya’s creative industry.
